Cold plate assembly incorporating thermal heat spreader

ABSTRACT

An example cold plate assembly includes a heat spreader assembly that defines a mounting surface for heat generating devices and provides an improved thermal conduction of heat away from the heat generating devices. The example heat spreader assembly provides a more uniform thermal gradient across the mounting surface of the cold plate assembly and improves thermal conductivity and cooling provided by the cold plate assembly.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This subject of this disclosure was made with government support under Contract No.: NNJO6TA25C awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The government therefore may have certain rights in the disclosed subject matter.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure generally relates to a cooling structure for cooling electronic components. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a cooling structure including a cold plate support assembly.

Electronic components onboard aircraft or other vehicles that operate in extreme temperatures are typically protected from overheating by a cooling device. In some environments, air flow is either not available or insufficient to handle the thermal loads generated by the electronic components. In such applications, a cold plate is utilized through which a cooling fluid flows to remove heat from the electronic component. The cold plate is mounted adjacent the electronic component and supplied with fluid flow through appropriate conduits that lead to a fluid delivery system.

SUMMARY

An example cold plate assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, among other possible things includes a heat spreader assembly that defines a mounting surface for heat generating devices and provides an improved thermal conduction of heat away from the heat generating devices. The example cold plate assembly with the integral heat spreading device spreads heat throughout the area of the mounting surface to reduce non-uniform thermal gradients across the cold plate assembly. Accordingly, the example heat spreader assembly provides a more uniform thermal gradient across the mounting surface of the cold plate assembly and improves thermal conductivity and cooling provided by the cold plate assembly.

Although the different examples have the specific components shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this invention are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples.

These and other features disclosed herein can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example cold plate assembly.

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the example cold plate assembly.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the example cold plate assembly.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an example ruffled fin assembly.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an example heat spreader assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an example cold plate assembly 10 includes an upper mounting surface 14 and a bottom surface 16. The upper mounting surface 14 defines an area for mounting heat generating devices 12. The example heat generating devices 12 are electronic components that generate heat dissipated through the cold plate assembly 10. The example cold plate assembly 10 includes fluid inlet fitting 42 that receive a cooling medium input indicated at 56 that removes heat from the cold plate assembly 10 generated by the heat generating device 12 and carries the heated cooling medium away through outlet fitting 44 as indicated at 58. Further, although the example structural cooling plate assembly 10 includes two separate cooling circuits any number of cooling circuits are also within the contemplation of this disclosure.

As appreciated, the heat generating devices 12 are mounted to a specific location on the mounting surface 14. Accordingly, generated heat is not evenly produced across the mounting surface 14.

The example mounting surface 14 is part of an upper skin 22 of a heat spreading assembly 20. A heat spreading assembly 20 provides for not only the dissipation of heat within a localized area but a spreading of the heat across a much wider area or surface to evenly distribute thermal energy produced by locally mounted heat generating devices 12. The example heat spreader assembly 20 is an integral part of the cold plate assembly 10 and defines the mounting surface 14 on which the various heat generating devices 12 are mounted.

As appreciated, the example mounting surface 14 is indicated as a planar surface for mounting of the various heat generating devices 12. However, the mounting surface 14 could be of any shape desired to accommodate application specific mounting requirements for the various heat generating devices. Moreover, although the example heat generating devices 12 are described as electronic components they may also comprise any other devices that generate heat that are desired to be cooled through a passive means as is provided by the example cold plate assembly 10.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 with continued reference to FIG. 1, the example cold plate assembly 10 is made up of a plurality of layers. Heat generated by the heat generating devices 12 is initially absorbed through the mounting surface 14 into the cold plate assembly 10. Heat produced by the heat producing devices 12 is spread out across the area defined by the heat spreader assembly 20 comprising the mounting surface 14. The heat is then absorbed within the cold plate assembly 10 through the various layers illustrated in FIG. 2.

The example cold plate assembly 10 includes the heat spreader 20 that is attached to a top parting sheet 38. The parting sheet 38 provides a top layer to seal a conduit through which a fluid medium is provided through inlets 42. A middle parting sheet 36 is disposed in a middle portion of the cold plate assembly and supports a closure bar 32. The closure bar 32 surrounds a finned layer 28. Fluid flows through the fins 28 to remove thermal energy produced by the heat generating devices 12. Although a single heat spreader 20 is shown, it is within the contemplation of this disclosure that additional heat spreaders could be included within the example cold plate assembly 10. For example, an additional heat spreader could be installed between the finned layers 28, 30 to further enhance heat removal.

The example cold plate assembly includes a first layer 28 of fins and a second layer 30 of fins. Each of the layers of fins 28, 30 are bounded by closure bars 32, 34. The closure bars 32, 34 define a boundary for the various fluid passages that are defined between the plurality of fins 50 (FIG. 4) within each of the layers 28, 30. A bottom parting sheet 40 is disposed on a bottom surface of the second layer 30 of fins that is opposite the middle parting sheet 36. The end sheet 18 is disposed in contact with the bottom parting sheet 40.

In this example, each of the parting sheets 36, 38, and 40 comprise an aluminum sheet material that is brazed in place to form the desired fluid conduits through which a cooling medium is provided. Each of the parting sheets 36, 38, and 40 of the example cold plate assembly 10 are brazed to each other at brazed joints indicated at 48. The heat spreader assembly 20 is further attached by a brazed joint 46 with the top parting sheet 38.

The example heat spreader assembly 20 includes the upper skin 22, a middle skin 24, and a lower skin 26. The middle skin 24 comprises a material that is selected from a group of materials that provides for the dissipation in a direction transverse to a thickness of the sheet. In other words, the heat spreader assembly 20 is comprised of layers of material that not only provide a low thermal resistance in a direction through the thickness of the material but also spreads the heat in a direction perpendicular to the thickness of the material about the area of the mounting surface 14. The outer skins 22, 26 are of a material brazeable and that mechanically encapsulate the center skin 24.

In this example, the heat spreader 20 comprises a material including graphite. The graphite provides for the spreading of thermal energy produced by the various heat generating components 12 across the area of the mounting surface 14 as indicated by arrows shown in FIG. 1. In this example, the heat spreader center skin 24 is fabricated from annealed pyrolytic graphite (APG). As should be appreciated, although an APG material is used in the disclosed example cold plate assembly 10 and heat spreader assembly 20 other materials and configurations that provide for the spreading of heat are also within the contemplation of this disclosure. The outer skins 22, 26 are comprised of material that is brazeable to the other cold plate components.

Referring to FIG. 4 with continued reference to FIG. 2, the example fin layers 28 and 30 comprise a ruffled fin configuration. Each of the layers 28 and 30 comprise a plurality of fins 50 that are spaced apart to define passages 54 through which a cooling medium may be flowed. Each of the example fins 50 comprises a surface 52 that includes a wavy or undulating surface referred to as a ruffle. The ruffled surface defines walls for the passages 54. The undulated surface 52 defines a tortuous path for cooling medium that enhance the cooling efficiency of the example cooling plate assembly 10. Moreover, with the ruffled undulating configuration of the example finned layers 28, 30 increases the surface area available for dissipation of heat and communicating the heat between the plurality of fins 50 and a cooling medium that flows there through. Although finned layers 28, 30 having ruffled configuration are shown by way of example, other fin configurations are within the contemplation of this disclosure. As appreciated, the cooling medium can includes air, liquid, or gas as is required for a specific application.

Referring to FIG. 5 with continued reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the example heat spreader assembly 20 includes a top skin 22 and a bottom skin 26 that sandwiches a middle skin 24 there between. Each of the top and bottom skins 22, 26 are fabricated of a brazeable material. The middle skin 24 of the example heat spreader assembly is fabricated from an APG material. The APG material provides for the dissipation and spreading of heat in a direction that is perpendicular to a thickness of the heat spreader assembly.

The brazed joint 46 between the heat spreader assembly and the remainder of the cold plate assembly 10 provides a less restrictive thermal conduit through which heat may be dissipated from the mounting surface 14 through the top or first parting sheet 38 into the fin sections 28, 30 where the heat may be carried off by a flow of cooling medium indicated at 58 in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the example cold plate assembly 10 is assembled by mounting the layer of fins 28, 30 to first and second sides of the middle sheet 36. Each of the layers of fins 28, 30 are then surround by closure bars 32, 34 to define a boundary for cooling medium. In the disclosed example, the fin sections 28, 30 comprise ruffled fins that have an undulating surface. Onto each side of the fin layers 28, 30 is brazed and attached parting sheets 38, 40 to define and passages through the fin sections 28, 30 by closing off one side of the passages 54 through the fins 50. In this example, the top (first) parting sheet 38 is attached utilizing a brazed joint 48 to a top surface of the closure bar 32 and the accompanying fin layer 28. A corresponding bottom (second) sheet 40 is attached through brazed joint 48 to the closure bar 34 and over the fin layer 30.

The example heat spreader assembly 20 is assembled as a separate unit by attaching the upper skin 22 and the lower skin 26 to the middle layer 24. The attachment may be performed utilizing welding, brazing, or any other attachment means as is known. Once the heat spreader assembly 20 is completed it is mounted by way of the brazed joint 46 to the partially assembled parts to complete the example cold plate assembly 10. All of the joints are brazed to provide the desired fluid tightness and thermal conductivity.

The example cold plate assembly 10 includes the heat spreader assembly 20 that defines the mounting surface 14 and provides an improved thermal conduction of heat away from the heat generating devices 12. The example cold plate assembly 10 with the heat spreading assembly 20 spreads heat throughout the area of the mounting surface 14 produced by the heat generating devices 12 to reduce non-uniform thermal gradients across the cold plate assembly 10. Utilizing the example heat spreader assembly 20, the thermal gradient across the mounting surface 14 of the cold plate assembly 10 is substantially uniform and improves thermal conductivity and cooling provided by the cold plate assembly.

Although an example embodiment has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this disclosure. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the scope and content of this disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cold plate assembly comprising: a heat spreader defining a surface for mounting heat generating devices; a plurality of heat dissipating members comprising ruffled fins in thermal communication with the heat spreader; and an end sheet defining a surface opposite the heat spreader.
 2. The cold plate assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat spreader comprises a graphite material.
 3. The cold plate assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the heat spreader comprises an annealed pyrolytic graphite.
 4. The cold plate assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat spreader comprises an upper skin, a bottom skin and a layer of annealed pyrolytic graphite between the upper and lower skin.
 5. The cold plate assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat dissipating members comprise first and second layers of ruffled fins separated by a parting sheet.
 6. The cold plate assembly as recited in claim 5, including a first closure bar disposed about the first layer of ruffled fins and a second closure bar disposed about the second layer of ruffled fins.
 7. The cold plate assembly as recited in claim 6, including additional parting sheets disposed on corresponding sides of the first and second layers of ruffled fins opposite the first parting sheet.
 8. The cold plate assembly as recited in claim 7, including an inlet and outlet for communicating a cooling medium through the first and second layers of ruffled fins.
 9. The cold plate assembly as recited in claim 7, including a brazed joint attaching the heat spreader to a parting sheet.
 10. A method of assembling a cold plate comprising: defining a mounting surface with a heat spreader; attaching the heat spreader to a fin assembly including a plurality of ruffled fins; and attaching an end sheet to a side of the fin assembly opposite the heat spreader.
 11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the fin assembly includes a first parting sheet defining a first surface of the fin assembly, a closure bar surrounding the plurality of ruffled fins and a second sheet defining a second surface opposite the first surface to which the heat spreader is attached.
 12. The method as recited in claim 10, including assembling the heat spreader by attaching a top skin and a bottom skin to a middle layer of heat spreading material.
 13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the heat spreading material comprises annealed pyrolytic graphite.
 14. The method as recited in claim 11, including attaching an inlet fitting to the first parting sheet to define a fluid inlet and attaching an outlet fitting to the first parting sheet to define a fluid outlet.
 15. The method as recited in claim 11, including attaching the heat spreader to the fin assembly with a brazed joint.
 16. The method as recited in claim 10, including defining a fluid passage through the heat dissipating layer through the ruffled fins. 